Last week Annabel and I went to see 2001 – A Space Odyssey at the extraordinary Hayden Orpheum – the cinema itself is an experience – but I was delighted just to be able to see this film which is invariably described as one of the most important and influential ever made. I was so keen to see it and was thankful that Annabel … Continue reading 2001: A Space Oddity, a Human Masterpiece and a Spiritual Revelation
Art is one of the great unexplored areas for use in evangelism….Picasso said that ‘art is the lie that leads to the truth’. Human beings are artists, because we are made in the image of the great artist. By taking a broad sweep of modern European art (with particular reference to Picasso, Van Gogh, Kandinsky and Chagall) we want to show how art sometime reflects … Continue reading Persuasive Art
John Calvin argued that of all the gifts God has given us – music is the most powerful. Churches have spent a great deal of time discussing the role of music in public praise. However when we discuss the more general role of music in society, it is often in a condemnatory way. Is there such a thing as Christian music? What does secular music … Continue reading Persuasive Music
I love going to art galleries and our trip to the New South Wales Gallery near the Botanical gardens was no exception. We saw some great paintings in the European and traditional Australian galleries – as well as some in the Asian. And then…. Art galleries give us a real sense of where a culture has come from and where it is at. What does … Continue reading Ozzie Observations – Week 6 – The Artist has no Clothes – What the NSW Art Gallery tells us about Australia and the Westo
Light Engaging Darkness no. 11 1) Las Vegas Shooting – As I write America is waking up to the horror of yet another mass killing by a gunman. A 64-year-old Nevada man, Stephen Paddock, killed at least 58 people attending a country music concert in Las Vegas. Unfortunately there were those who were quick to make judgments and pronouncements. ISIS claimed that Mr. Paddock … Continue reading LED 11 – Las Vegas Shooting – Catalonia – Teddy Taylor – Runrig – Transgender Sperm Frozen – Art for Dogs Sake – Lidl Leaves out the Cross – Africa’s Green Wall – Luther’s Quote
Good old Tim Keller has been up to his tricks again – preaching the gospel, engaging the culture, applying the Bible, growing the church. So time for a wee take down – lest he get too big for his boots….time for the reformed world twitterati to do the Holy Spirit’s job and convict Tim of sin, righteousness and the judgement to come (and not to … Continue reading Is Tim Keller the Art Heretic?
6am. It’s another beautiful day. The sun is out in bonny Dundee and I am stuck on a hospital bed staring out of the window! Time for some reading and some listening. Earphones, an Iphone and Good Morning Scotland from the BBC on the radio. That should pass the time.! In hospital this time they have been concerned to get my blood pressure to rise … Continue reading Does the BBC Reflect or Shape our Society?
I have just been reading the latest Solas magazine – it is OUTSTANDING! Every article is a gem. I’m so proud of what Scott and his team have done…fascinating articles on Malta; Refugee camps; Being the Truth; The Joy of Creation; Respect (this from a wonderful 18 year old Spanish girl); The Speakers Character (from an Italian pastor); Reformation (Mike Reeves in fine form); Donald … Continue reading Why We Need A Return To Rational Thinking – Solas Magazine Spring 2017
We are currently on a wee break in Kenmore, in the heart of the Perthshire Highlands. And I’ve fulfilled three things on my bucket list. Walked the Birks of Aberfeldy….stunning…not to be missed. Bonnie lassie, will ye go, Will ye go, will ye go, Bonnie lassie, will ye go To the birks of Aberfeldy! Now Simmer blinks on flowery braes, And o’er the crystal … Continue reading The Birks of Aberfeldy, Modern Art, Hygge, the Oldest Living thing on earth and the Best Bookshop in Scotland?
This is an album that is very bleak, if you listen to it against a backdrop of materialistic, atheistic secularism. There really is nothing. No hope, no hallelujah. But if you see this album in the light of the incarnation, life, teaching, death, resurrection and return of the Name above all names, then the darkness only serves to magnify the Light. Continue reading Light out of Darkness: A Review of Leonard Cohen’s ‘You Want It Darker’
